Building A Family
by Em Kay Who
Summary: Sometimes families were made. Sometimes families were built.


**A/N: What happens when I can't sleep? New stories pop in my head and won't leave me be. This one-shot and I had some rough times, including losing over half of it after the power went out, but I took a deep breath and tried my best to recreate what I'd lost(Thanks for the encouagrement, Ash!).**

**(Note for this story- While I personally accept the Doctor and Donna giving Rose and the Meta Crisis a piece of the coral as cannon... This story acts as if that scene never took place.)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC.**

* * *

They never discussed having children. They both just knew that eventually it would happen, but right now they were enjoying their time together. People asked them constantly when they were going to start a family and they would both just smile and tell them when the time was right, they would. Jackie was beside herself and constantly told them that she wasn't getting any younger and, yes in fact, she would like grandchildren before she was put away in a home. Never mind the fact that she was as young and spry as ever with her own seven year old son.

No, they never actually discussed having children. Not even when they decided to start trying.

If people could watch their interactions, they would probably say that the Doctor and Rose needed better communication. That couldn't be farther from the truth. They actually were so in sync with one another, so in tune with the other's thoughts and feelings, that they didn't needed many words. All it took was Rose rolling over and bed and saying, "That was my last pill. I don't think I'm going to get a refill. That alright?"

And all it took was the Doctor to give her a megawatt grin and responding with one word. "Brilliant!"

After four years together in Pete's World and two years of marriage (official marriage anyway. They were already committed. They only had the wedding to make Jackie happy which included choosing the name Dr. John Noble as the Doctor's "official" name) the Doctor and Rose were going to start trying to have children.

But one year and several negative pregnancy tests later and they were still just a family of two.

* * *

They never discussed it. They knew that if it was going to happen, it would happen. And if not... Then that would be okay. They had each other and that was all that mattered.

It didn't stop the tears though. Or the heartache. The Doctor lost count of how many nights he held Rose in his arms as she cried herself to sleep and then stayed awake, trying to come up with reasons and solutions for not getting pregnant. They never talked about it, but when Jackie asked if they thought about going to see a specialist to determine why this wasn't happening for them, they both just politely shook their heads no. Maybe in a few years, if they still didn't have children, they would take that option. But not now. Not yet.

They never discussed that the real reason they didn't want to see doctor was because they were both afraid of what they would be told. Rose had done a lot of dangerous things in her life, including travelling through the Void, into numerous alternate universes. What if those jumps had affected her body? What if it was her fault she couldn't get pregnant? The Doctor had similar fears. Sure he had a human body now, but he was still different. What if this was his fault? What if his jumbled Time Lord / Human / Meta-Crisis biology was messing things up?

They never talked about it, but they both knew. So they used strategically placed kisses and embraces to soothe the other's fear. It was alright. No matter what, they would be alright.

* * *

Six more months of trying and they both quietly accepted that it was probably never going to happen for them. Oh, Rose would stay off her birth control and they would continue trying, because who didn't enjoy that aspect of the ordeal, but they stopped expecting things to happen. Rose stopped stocking up on tests and only took one if she really truly felt like pregnancy was a possibility. She never did.

They put on brave faces and went about their lives like normal, but those who truly knew them knew something was off. Their smiles weren't quite as big as they once were, their laughter not quite as genuine. Jackie worried constantly for her little girl. She herself had never had a problem getting pregnant. She and her first Pete hadn't even been trying when they found out they were having Rose and, oddly enough, it had been the same situation with her second Pete and their son Tony.

Jackie knew what her daughter and son-in-law needed. They needed a holiday. Back when they had first arrived in this universe and continuing on until after they were married, the Doctor and Rose were constantly travelling. She never saw the pair so happy as when they were off and about exploring new places. So, she spoke to her husband as asked if there was something they could do for them. Pete liked his wife's idea, but knew that a normal holiday would never suit. What the Doctor and Rose enjoyed most of all was helping people. This lead to Pete approaching them the next day and asking if they would consider being Goodwill Ambassadors for Vitex. Recently the health drink company had began their own charity which provided wells for safe drinking water in third world countries. If they accepted, they would leave in one week to travel all throughout Africa and oversee the projects.

The Doctor and Rose were all for it, but wanted to make it clear that they weren't going to just to be the "face" of Vitex. They didn't want to just make and appearance, shake a few hands, and then be on their way. If they were going to do this, they were going to get their hands dirty and actually help out. And so would anyone who accompanied them. Pete wholeheartedly agreed to their terms.

The never discussed it, but they both knew what Pete was doing. And both were grateful.

* * *

Two months later in they were finally at their last stop. It was one of the smaller villages they had visited and had a name Rose didn't even want to attempt pronouncing lest she offend someone. Both she and the Doctor were exhausted, but would readily admit to anyone who asked that it had been worth it. They had met and were able to help so many people. If Rose closed her eyes she could almost imagine that they weren't even on Earth anymore. She half expected to turn around and see the TARDIS there waiting to take them to their next location. Rose missed the time ship every day, and knew the Doctor felt the same, but she found that travelling an alternate version of her home planet with the human version of the man she loved more than made up for it.

Their trip hadn't been all happy times. They saw their fair share of illness and death. Once the villagers learned that the Doctor was, in fact, a doctor, he was often bombarded with people's various ailments. He did his best to help those he could and tried to make those he couldn't as comfortable as possible. Rose was a steady rock by his side. She comforted mothers who children were being taken by disease and held the hands of those who had injuries the Doctor had to fix without proper pain medication. He had never been so proud of her or found her more beautiful.

But it was all worth it whenever they got a well up and running and were able to pass out cups of fresh water to villagers who had never tasted water so clean. And when they did, they held celebrations, dressing the Doctor and Rose in local garb and teaching them the dances they did in thanks.

It was during this last stop that the Doctor and Rose met the person who would change their lives forever.

Upon their arrival they immediately greeted the leader of the village, via the translator who had been with them the entire two months. He was a young adult man, fresh out of university, who went by the name Thomas. He had moved from Kenya to England at the age of ten and was an expert in the various dialects spoken throughout Africa. He had been recruited by Vitex to be their official translator for this trip, just days after graduation. Even without the TARDIS, the Doctor still spoke most of the languages they encountered, but Rose was forever grateful that Thomas was there to help her out.

Meeting with the leader out of the way, Thomas lead the Doctor and Rose around the village and helped introduce the pair to the people they would be working with. Like in the many villages before it, the second someone learned that they had a doctor in their midst, they were scrambling to get the Doctor's help. He spent what felt like hours, diagnosing and treating those he could, when he finally reached the last patient. There in front of him was an old woman. If he had to take a stab at her age, he would guess somewhere in her nineties, though he was the first to admit that looks could be deceiving. For a brief moment he thought she was the one who needed treatment, until he heard a loud wail came from a tiny lump being held close to her body.

The old woman went on to explain (with translation provided by Thomas) that they baby had not stopped crying in what felt like days, it only slept for short periods of time and trying to get it to eat was a monumental task. The baby was around three months old and had been with the old woman that entire time since the mother had died a couple days after childbirth, joining the father who had died a few weeks before. The baby was no relation to her, but without any other family, the responsibility had been placed in her hands. She begged the Doctor to fix the baby. She was old and wasn't sure how much longer she could care for this pitiful thing. No one in the village had any answers and everyone had tried and failed to make the it stop crying.

Rose heart broke at the sound of the weary wails. Everything in her being was telling her to make this better. Without thought, she held her arms open and allowed the woman to hand the baby over. Within seconds, they were met with silence. The Doctor's heart clenched at the sight of Rose holding this tiny creature. This tiny baby who had been so miserable just seconds before and was now lying contently in her arms.

Leaning towards the Doctor, Rose unwrapped the cloth that had been placed over the baby, and saw that the small bundle in her arms was a little girl. "Nyah Rose," Thomas said. When Rose asked for clarification, he went on to say that the old woman had been calling the baby Nyah Rose. She felt tears spring in her eyes and clenched the baby just a bit tighter.

Eventually the Doctor coaxed her into letting him hold Nyah so he could properly examine her. With a quick scan from his spare sonic screwdriver, he breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing was wrong that couldn't be remedied. It appeared the baby girl was lactose intolerant and the goat's milk she had been given was upsetting her tummy. The constant crying could be for that very reason, on top of general dehydration and a bit of malnourishment. Though he knew another likely reason was because she was tired. Plain and simple. And she wasn't sleeping because of her tummy troubles. It was a vicious cycle.

The Doctor held Nyah against his chest as he explained the prognosis to the old woman. He was surprised when she gasped and pointed to the baby. Looking down, he realised Nyah had fallen soundly asleep in his arms. He looked to his left and saw Rose openly sobbing at the sight. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no words came out. She didn't know what to say. After not talking about it for so long, how could she tell the Doctor that she wanted this little girl, no, that she needed this little girl?

Words weren't necessary, though, as the Doctor looked at her and said two words. "Me too."

One long discussion with the old woman (with the help of Thomas), one phone call to Pete, who called in a favour to his former flatmate from his days at uni and who just happened to now be the President, and two months of staying in Africa and waiting patiently for the all clear, the Doctor and Rose went back to London, no longer a family of two, but a family of three.

The Doctor, Rose Tyler-Noble, and Nyah Rose Tyler-Noble. Just as they should be.

* * *

Three months later they grew to be a family of five.

It started with Jackie asking Rose to help with a fundraiser she was in charge of. As the wife of Peter Tyler, Jackie had found herself as head of a few different charitable organisations and often had to call in her daughter when the workload got to be too much. Not that Rose didn't have her hands full with her nine month old daughter, but when the fundraiser was collecting coats for the kids who occupied the various children's homes throughout London, how could she say no?

It was on one of the drop off trips that Rose met two little boys who would change their lives forever.

The second she walked in the door, she was met with the sound of someone being severely reprimanded. The woman in charge of the home flushed in embarrassment when she realised Rose had watched her entire tirade against a boy who appeared to be no older than four or five. She begged for forgiveness and claimed that Mrs. Tyler-Noble just caught her at the most horrid time and no, she was never this harsh with the children. Rose couldn't contain the giggle that bubbled in her chest when she noticed the little boy behind the woman rolling his eyes and moving his mouth back and forth in a mocking manner. Thankfully, Rose was able to play it off and when the satisfied woman went to find some older boys to help collect the coats, she bent down and introduced herself to the young man. "So, whatcha do to get yelled at like that?"

He smiled sheepishly, introduced himself as Jack, and explained that he switched the salt and sugar so when the family who wanted to adopt him had their tea they were in for quite the surprise. Rose thought the joke was rather funny, but asked why he would want to make the family that had the potential to be his family mad. He told her it was because they only wanted him, and not his twin brother, who was extremely shy and barely spoke a word. Everyone thought he was stupid, but Jack knew better. Jameson just didn't have anything to say to those people. He spoke to Jack when he needed to.

Rose took in the sight of this beautiful little boy. Dark, dirty blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that spelled mischief. Rose was in love. She immediately pulled out her mobile and sent a quick text to the Doctor, telling him to come to the children's home ASAP. The Doctor, worried something serious was wrong, arrived within fifteen minutes of receiving the text. As soon as he met Jack though, he knew why Rose had texted. Rose quietly explained about Jack and his shy twin brother Jameson. The Doctor nodded and without hesitation asked if they could be allowed to meet this brother, in whom he was so protective. The young boy was wary, but agreed as long as they didn't get mad at him if he didn't speak.

It took five minutes of the Doctor's charm and referring to Jameson as "Jamie, my lad" for the quiet twin to say a few words to the Doctor and Rose. Jack's face lit up at the sound of his brother's voice and without hesitation turned and asked the wonderful couple in front of him if they could please take him and his brother home with them? If they did, he promised to never switch their salt and sugar.

The Doctor looked to Rose, who saw the pleading in his eyes. No words were needed. He wanted these little boys. Rose smiled and said two words. "Me too."

One long discussion with woman in charge of the home, one phone conversation with Pete, who again called in a favour to a friend, and three weeks of visiting the twin boys every day, the Doctor and Rose were finally able to go home as a family of five.

The Doctor, Rose Tyler-Noble, Jack Tyler-Noble, Jameson "Jamie" Tyler-Noble, and Nyah Rose Tyler-Noble. Just as they should be.

* * *

They never discussed it, but a pattern emerged. They would go somewhere, meet a child with a name that struck a cord, and instantly fall in love. It would take two words from one of them, a few phone calls, and waiting various amounts of time, and their family would grow.

* * *

On their first family holiday to Italy, they toured a children's home to pass out toys (an idea Jack and Jamie had come up with) and met a three year old girl named Romanadia who instantly attached herself to the Doctor's side. The little girl preened when the Doctor called her, "Romy, love." Rose saw the glossy sheen in her husband's eyes and knew their family was about to expand.

Then there was their second family holiday this time to Barcelona, where they met nine year Serafina when she was caught pickpocketing Rose. It took two hours to get her real name (she originally kept saying her name was Jane, but the Doctor could tell she was lying) and for her to admit that she was a recent orphan living on the streets. "Seraphina... Jane... Sarah Jane?" Rose whispered with a quirked eyebrow. Again, their family grew.

Next was their second goodwill trip with Vitex, this time to the Philippines and only for two weeks (the kids were being left in Jackie and Pete's care). There they met a twelve year old boy who's family had died three years previously in a terrible storm. He had bounced around since then, staying with various friends. Rose and the Doctor already were feeling drawn to the little boy who so clearly needed a family and the deal was sealed when he finally told them his name was Ian. One more member joined the Tyler-Noble clan.

The next person who joined their family didn't have a familiar name, but that didn't stop the Doctor and Rose from accepting her.

* * *

It began in a small town in Scotland with an entire family, save for one young girl, being murdered by a group of Zygons. The Doctor, Rose, and their Torchwood team arrived in time to save the residents of the town, but not in time for that one family. The Pond family. Two years later, Rose received a call at work telling her there was a young girl in the lobby who was demanding to see her. Purely out of curiosity, Rose went downstairs and met fourteen year old Amelia Pond. The only Pond who lived through the Zygon attack.

Amelia wanted to know what exactly killed her family and why didn't Rose get there sooner and why did her parents have to die and why does it still hurt so bad? Rose led the weeping girl back to her office and let her rant and rave. She even allowed her to throw some books. When Amelia finally calmed down, Rose calmly offered her some tea. Feeling slightly better, the young, ginger girl explained that she had always wanted to meet Rose Tyler-Noble and explain her thanks for saving her town. But as soon as she saw the older blonde, the pain of her parent's and grandparent's death hit her full force and she was terribly sorry for throwing a tantrum.

Rose soothed her spirit and told her she was completely forgiven and was very glad to meet her. They spoke for the better part of the afternoon where Rose learned that Amelia now lived with one of her distant aunts in Leadworth and, save for her best friend Rory, she hated it. Her aunt wasn't a bad person, but there was a reason she never had children of her own. Her aunt was incredibly independent and her job often took her away for weeks at a time, leaving Amelia all alone. Feeling the incredible urge to mother this lonely girl, Rose invited her home for tea.

Amelia fit in perfectly with their hodge podge family. She played dolls with the girls and told jokes with the boys, and even bantered with the Doctor on almost every subject. It was obvious she had fierce spirit and would defend those she cared about until her last breath. In other words she was a perfect match. And though they never discussed it, Rose and the Doctor were almost positive that somewhere, in another universe, another version of Amelia Pond just might be a future companion to the Doctor.

And so, after several long conversations with Amelia's aunt, and a few more phone calls to Pete and his contacts, their family grew once more.

* * *

They never discussed physically having children. They were content with the family they had built. And so Rose threw out her spare pregnancy tests and firmly decided that she would not go see a specialist. She had no need. They had no need.

No, they never discussed the possibility of Rose becoming pregnant. They never discussed it. Until they had to.

After spending her fourth morning in a row with her head in the toilet, Rose finally picked herself up off the ground and went to join her children and husband at the breakfast table. Despite having no other symptoms, she naively assumed she just had the flu. An illness that was not foreign to household with having so many children. It wasn't until Amelia playfully asked if Rose was pregnant, that alarms started silently going off in Rose and the Doctor's heads. Making brief eye contact, they excused themselves from the table and reconvened in their room.

"It's not possible," were the first words out of Rose's mouth.

The Doctor quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure? It's not like we've used protection in years."

"Exactly!" she practically shouted. "It's been years. We've moved on. We have our kids and we're happy and content."

"Okay. Alright. Calm down." He drew Rose into his arms and began running his hands down her arms in a soothing manner.

"I threw out the extra tests," she mumbled against his chest.

"I'll go out and grab one."

She pulled back. "Now?"

"If you'd like," he answered.

"Yeah. And no matter what it says, we'll be okay. Yeah?"

"Of course we will. We'll be brilliant."

Forty-seven minutes and thirty-three seconds later Rose said one word. "Positive."

* * *

Seven months later and the newest member of their family was born. Their children heatedly debated for weeks about what the name should be and it wasn't until the Doctor and Rose told them that they wouldn't choose a name until they saw the baby, that they finally stopped. Of course then the The Great Boy Or Girl Debate began. Picking a name wasn't as difficult as they expected though. Looking down at the shockingly ginger locks on his baby girl, the Doctor new instantly what he wanted to name her. Rose responded with two words, "Me too."

The Doctor, Rose Tyler-Noble, Amelia Pond-Tyler-Noble, Ian Tyler-Noble, Serafina "Sera Jane" Tyler-Noble, Romanadia "Romy" Tyler-Noble, Jack Tyler-Noble, Jameson "Jamie" Tyler-Noble, Nyah Rose Tyler-Noble, and Donna Susan Tyler-Noble. Just as they should be.

For now.

They haven't stopped building their family yet.

And who knows if they ever will.

* * *

_**Review? xoxo**_


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